Critical Discourse Analysis of Starbucks promotional text

DISCOURSE ANALYSIS
Starbucks
Our Coffee
(1) Coffee is at the heart of Starbucks history. (2) Since 1971, our passion has been to excite and inspire you to
enjoy the finest quality coffee available. (3) Our commitment to this is the same today and (4) we hope you
share our passion as (5) you begin to explore the world of coffee. (6) Your adventure starts here...
(7) At Starbucks, we sample coffees from around the world more than 150,000 cups a year, in fact. (8) We
have to taste that many because we seek only the finest, richest and most interesting beans. (9) Starbucks
purchases only the finest, high altitude Arabica coffee beans available as they have a more refined flavour
and quality than the more common Robusta beans.
(10) Building relationships with farmers has ensured our success in having access to the highest quality coffee.
(11) We search for those who will bring the same passion to growing, harvesting and processing that Starbucks
does to blending, roasting, packaging and brewing. (12) Passion equals attention to detail at every step of
the journey.
http://www.starbucks.co.th/en-US/_Worlds+Best+Coffee/

DISCOURSE AND CRITICAL DISCOURSE ANALYSIS: MICRO-LEVEL

Cohesion features: Reference features: Starbucks we our this you your they farmers Repetition: coffee(s) (7), Starbucks
(5) our (5) we (5) passion (4) beans (3) finest (2) quality (2) available (2) Ellipsis: cups of coffee, that many cups; growing.coffee,
blending.coffee; Substitution we search for those
Coherence features Logical relationships: para. 1 temporal, para. 2 causal; para. 3 additive
Lexicon: lexical groups/synonym
- excite, inspire, adventure, success
- finest, quality, highest, richest, (attention to) detail, refined,
- heart, passion, commitment, relationships
- explore, seek, adventure, journey, world
Thematic progression: para 1 linear, constant, constant, linear, constant para 2 constant para 3 constant, linear
Key words: Starbucks, coffee, beans, farmers, quality
Connotations: Predictably and understandably for a text of this nature, the connotations of the lexical groups (above) are all
highly positive, with a number of purr words heart passions, inspire commitment relationships, adventure.
Participants: specific participants are excluded and kept at the level of representing generic collectives (Starbucks, we, farmers);
the main participants, Starbucks are activated with transitive verbs; they sample, taste, seek, purchase, build, search.
Processes: process including sharing, sampling, tasting, building relationships as well as manufacturing processes: growing,
harvesting, processing, blending, roasting, packaging, brewing; heavy use of action verbs and material processes
Circumstances: mostly temporal circumstances but general, rather than specific
Abstraction: there is a mid-level of abstraction in the text as it focuses on concrete actions that are on-going (tasting, sampling,
roasting, harvesting etc.). There are however some more abstract terms, in particular in the thematic positions, such as our
commitment, our passion, your adventure and building relationships all of which are quite empty of concrete references

Critical Discourse Analysis of Starbucks promotional text

Creative/figurative language: metaphorical language the heart of Starbucks, explore the world of coffee, relatively high use of
adjectives
Summary of micro level features
The language in the texts emphasizes the notions of quality as well as the production of coffee. In using pronoun references we
and you the text tries to create a positive, familiar relationship between producer and reader. The text also uses a high number
of purr words and words with strong positive connotations, again emphasizing emotion (heart, passion, excite etc.) and the
notion of quality and production of coffee. Processes such as sharing, tasting sampling also have positive connotations.
In sum, the high number of positive connotations and the mid-level abstraction are in keeping with promotional discourse which
tries to bridge between manufacturing processes and the consumers personal feelings and associations of those processes.

CRITICAL DISCOURSE ANALYSIS MACRO-LEVEL

Inclusion/exclusion (participants/information)
The producers of the text are unnamed as are the actual participants within it. There is emphasis on the company as being actively
involved in the purchasing of coffee beans, and there is even more abstract and minimal attention given to the producers of coffee
beans: the farmers and other workers in the industry (e.g. middle men, importers etc.). Other information that is not given includes
costs, how the relationships between Starbucks and farmers are built. Thus there is mention of the world of coffee but there is
no inclusion or mention of the business itself: international trade, economics, pricing, transportation or other processes involved
in getting coffee from farm to store. The text thus closes the gap between Starbucks and the farmers, which connotes a personal
process.
Authorial perspective and purpose
The text aims to convince the reader of the quality of the product it is promoting. It therefore expects the reader to identify with
the values of consumerism, as well as the notion of quality. At the same time, most of the processes described are rather general
and have intermediate level abstraction. There is no specific mention of how quality is assured other than by discussing the number
of coffee cups tasted per year.
Other questions (answered in brief)
What does the text expect the reader to agree with? What does the text imply is important? What does the text expect the reader
to comply with? What does the text expect the reader to understand? What does the text expect the reader to believe?
The text aims to impress the reader regarding Starbucks quality of coffee. It expects the reader to agree that the care taken is to
those ends (i.e. achieving quality) and that Starbucks is successful in obtaining and making quality coffee.
It also hopes the reader believes that, indeed, the company builds relationships with farmers; building relationships with farmers
has a very positive connotation, in contrast to, for example, writing contracts with or making demands of. This may be an attempt
to indirectly address the issue of the exploitation of coffee farmers, which many readers will be familiar with. The use of more
abstract language (see above) which focuses on positive emotions further removes the reader from the reality of coffee production
and emphasizes more lifestyle and Western values and ideals (commitment, passion).
Other things that are important to the producers (and therefore is expected to be important to readers) is the history of the
company. History in business terms connotes success. That is perhaps why the marked circumstantial theme of Since 1971 has
been used as a way to highlight history.
Another strategy is the naming of the type of bean (Arabica) they use. While arguably most coffee drinkers are not aware of
different coffee beans and dont really care, emphasising this in a sense invites the reader to become a connoisseur of coffee by
implying that they do know and care about the beans. It is inclusive (and exclusive in the sense of special for you only) language
for the discerning consumer.
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